Cheese press



N. J- PETERS CHEESE PRESS June 23, 1953 2 Sheen-Shoot 1 Filed Sept. 16, 1949 INVENTOR. 71M (9. 6kg BY Qua-meg? r fl'ys.

Patented June 23, 1953 CHEESE PRESS I Norman J. Peters, Fond du Lac, Wis assiguor to:

Damrow Brothers CompanyyFond du Lac, Wis" a corporation of Wisconsin I Application September 16, 194 9,: semmo. 115,911 I p e 1 Claim. (Cl. rod-199) The invention relates to cheese presses.

The general object of the invention is to provide certain simplifications of-the cheese press shown in my prior U. S. Patent No. 2,362,089, of November 7, 1944, in which the regular ratchets for putting additional pressure onto the cheese hoops are employed. By the present invention the ratchets are eliminated and stainless steel, adjustably mounted, back stop brackets or plates and a long double acting hydraulic cylinder is used. There is enough stroke for the pistons to take up the, pressing of the hoops even on long presses. Most of the exposed parts are of stainless steel, so that they can be readily kept clean. The press is so de- I signed that practically allof the present cheese molds now used for cheddar cheese can be used in this press without any extra attachments.

The bottom of the trough is'pitched toward the center for easier draining and cleaning ofthe press, the ends are closedand' a special, drain connection is provided at one end and theholes to receive the legs of backing plate are on the top of the press to permit easier cleaning. The

width of each trough is such that its upper edges 1 form guides for the large or daisy size cheese molds and thus eliminate the fixed brackets of my prior patent. The hydraulic cylinders and the backing plates are independent units, so that they can be used at either end of the press, which is desirable as in many instances changes in the location of the cylinder or cylinders is desired.

The cylinder supports fit into the same series of holes as are used for the backing plates.

Pressing block attachments are readily secured onto the piston push plate to suit the particular sire of hoop put into the press.

The invention further consists in the several i features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the claim at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig; '1 is a detailedelevation view once! the ram head attachments. I Referring to the drawings, the press includes I a large stainless steel metal plate which is pressed out at intermediate portions torform lengthwise extending, smooth walled, spaced troughs 8 whose bottoms 9 are p'itched toward the'cente'r and whoseen'ds III are closed sothat fluid deposited in the troughs may readily drain out the drain outlets adjacent one of 'the ends of each trough. The widthof eachtroughds such that a largeor daisy sizecheese hoop I2 will easily rest on the topedges thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Thextroughs are reinforced by transversely disposed metal frame members l3 which are connected by cross ties l4, some-of these frameme'mbers being-mounted in the upper ends of supporting legs l5, which -may be braced by brace bars l6 connecting said legs with certain of the-frame members, as shown in'Flg. 1.

A double acting hydraulic cylinder I1 is associated with eachtrough. Each cylinder .11 has a head. casting l8 having apertured side lugs or feet I9 adapted to be adjustably clamped to the top portions 20 of the troughs by bolts 2! which may be inserted in any one of a number of alined sets or holes 22 inthe'tops of each trough. For further supporting each, cylinder intermediate its ends a two part collar or saddle M. The upper-half 24 of the saddle has lugs 21 secured by bolts 28 to the upper part of the lower half 23 of the saddle.

Each cylinder I! has a piston working therein whose long rod 23 extends through a suitably Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a cheese press embodying the invention, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an end view looking toward the backs of the pressing cylinders;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View of the cylinder p p packed opening 30 in the head It! and carries a ram head 3|. .For the large or daisy size cheese hoops l2-the ram head 3| engages directly with the follower 32 of the adjacent hoop as shown in Fig. 1 and the nearer cylinder in Fig. 3, while for smaller size cheese hoops, such as the longhorn hoops 33, attachments of the typeshown in Figs. 3 and 7 may be mounted on the ram head 3|. These attachments each comprise a plate 34 having an arcuate flanged portion 35 to engage over the ram head and carrying spaced sets of relatively stifi springs 36, each spring engageable at its forward end with a follower 33a of the hoop 33 as shown in Fig. 3. With this attachment the spaced sets of cheeses are simultaneously pressed by a single ram and the springs 36 serve to equalize or compensate for difierences in reaction pressures set up by either set of cheeses.

T pinin for the c qe s, ,l..l; n..i Fig. 6 and comprises a valve controlled supply pipe 31 for air or water under pressure, branch pipes 38 each having a valve 39 and a pressure gauge G and each connected with a manually Each valve- 4ll controlled four way valve 40. connects a pipe 4| with one end of the cylinder, a pipe 42 at the other en'd'of thejcyliriderya'nd an exhaust or drain pipe 43. Thus; either or both of the cylinders may be supplied with whey is readily drained from the bottom of the trough through its drain opening ll. When the cheese mass has been pressed to the desired extent, the valve 40 is turned to reverse the movement of the piston 29 and head 3| so that the cheese hoops may be readily removed. The stroke of the pistons are long enough to take up the .pressingofthe hoops even on long presses, and

the operation is much quicker'than that of presses using the hand operated ratchet which is also difficult to keep clean.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or 'a'frangem'ent 'of'parts except in so far as such operating fluid by manipulatingthe valves 39,

and each cylinder is controlled by its valve lll so that the piston is positively moved forward or backward depending-upon the setting of the valve I0 and'may be 'held 'in'any set position.

The cylinders 11 may 'b'eplaced. at "either end of the troughs or intermediate. their" eiids; if

"desiredby p'roper selection of the holes 22 'for the bolts 2| and 2s.

A flat or plain backing plate of uniform thickness" as shown"in"Figs;"1' and 3' and formed as shownin-Fig. 5 s'othat aportion 45 thereof projecting down into the trough is provided at op- H posite' sides with inclined integrally connected rods 46 whose downturned ends 41 are adapted to engage in any oneof. the sets of holes 22 on opposite sides of the trough as shown in Figsxl and 3, these plates and rods being made of stainless steel. Thelower' edges 48 of said plates 'rest' on the top edges of the trough. Thus the 'limitationsare included in the claim.

What I claim as my invention is:

vIn a cheese press, the combination of a trough having a series of lengthwise spaced alined sets of openings in its top edges, a plain fiat metal backing plate of uniform thickness resting at its lower edge portion on the top of said trough and depending below said lower edge portion into said trough, leg members formed of round metal rods secured to the front side of said plate above the trough and projecting downwardly and rearwardly therefrom and having forwardly angled feet engageable in a set of said alined openings to hold the plate'in fixed relation to said trough, and a pressing cylinder secured to said trough and provided with a ram cooperating with said plate to press cheese hoops interposed between said ram and plate.

NORMAN J. PETERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I 179,505 Beach July 4, 1876 837,652 Wilder Dec. 4, 1906 1,124,775 Martin Jan. 12, 1915 1,135,757 Blooh- Pimentel Apr. 13, 1915 1,239,652 Wickham- Sept. 11, 1917 2,054,304 Steinbach Sept. 15, 1936 2,362,089 Peters Nov. '7, 1944 Mueller Dec. 26, 1950 

